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Cuban officials report island-wide blackout as country struggles with energy crisis

A vendor having breakfast sits by her table holding various products, from cigarettes to sandals, in Havana, Cuba, early Friday, March 13, 2026. On Monday, March 16, officials in Cuba reported an island-wide blackout in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen.
Ramon Espinosa
/
AP
A vendor having breakfast sits by her table holding various products, from cigarettes to sandals, in Havana, Cuba, early Friday, March 13, 2026. On Monday, March 16, officials in Cuba reported an island-wide blackout in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen.

HAVANA — Officials in Cuba report an island-wide blackout in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines on X notes a "complete disconnection" of the country's electrical system and says it is investigating.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday warned that the island had not received oil shipments in more than three months and that it was operating on solar power, natural gas and thermoelectric plants.

A massive outage over a week ago affected the island’s west, leaving millions without power.

Critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then-president, Nicolás Maduro.

While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand as its electric grid continues to crumble.

On Friday, Díaz-Canel confirmed that Cuba was holding talks with the U.S. government as the problems continue to deepen.

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